Thread-feeding attachment for knitting frames



June 19, 1956 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTINGFRAMES 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 Anew/73,96, ma Hfll/ x Filed Feb. 10, 1954 4A44: KafBER.

3 SheetsSheet 2 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL June 19, 1956 THREAD-FEEDINGATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES Filed Feb. 1 0, 1954 93 38 37 I26 I18 434/ 85 88 1238396 05a June 9, 9 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL 2,750,773

THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES Filed Feb. 10, 1954 3Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FORKNITTING FRAMES Paul Virchaux, Saint-Blaise, and Hans Korber, Fribourg,Switzerland Application February 10, 1954, Serial No. 409,467

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 20, 1953 8 Claims. (Cl.66-432) Thread-feeding attachments on knitting frames often comprise arotary disc against which the thread is pushed by a thread-feedingroller. The thread thus is drawn from the spool and fed to the needles.As required, said roller is set a certain distance from the center ofsaid disc to supply the thread to the needles at a corresponding speed.Such setting or adjustment is carried out manually and is not changedduring the operation of the knitting frame.

The main object of our present invention is to provide means foradjusting the thread-feeding roller for the purpose of varying thethread speed.

The thread-feeding attachment for knitting machines, as disclosed by ourpresent invention, comprises a disc rotating at uniform speed and aroller which pushes the thread to be supplied against said disc. Saidattachment is characterized by a mechanism for moving at predeterminablespeeds said roller in a meridian plane of the disc with respect to theaxis of rotation of the latter, between positions determined by aplurality of pre-adjustable path-limiting stops.

In a preferred form of such attachment, said roller is rotatably mountedon a member, and said mechanism comprises a hydraulically movableoperating piston for moving said member together with said roller, and apump for delivering operating liquid to one or the other side of saidpiston, the pump output being adjustable for the purpose of varying thepiston speed.

One form of the attachment disclosed is shown by way of example in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a knitting frame on which theattachment is mounted,

Fig. 2 shows part of a longitudinal or vertical section through theattachment on the line II-II of Fig. 4, certain parts having beenomitted,

Fig. 3 is part of a longitudinal or vertical section through theattachment on the line III-III of Fig. 4,

Fig. 4 a is a plan view in direction of the arrow IV of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a side view in direction of the arrow V of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is part of a horizontal section on the line Vl-Vl of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of certain securing and mounting meansbelonging to the attachment.

In Fig. l is shown a circular knitting frame of known construction onwhich is mounted the novel thread-feeding attachment. The structure oftheknitting frame will be described here only as far as is required fora clear understanding of the present invention.

On the supporting frame 1 of the knitting frame is mounted the top frame2 in which is disposed the needleand-sinker cylinder 3. Thread spools 5are mounted on abracket 4 of which the supporting column 24 is accentedto the supporting frame 1. The threads 5a, which practically arenon-elastic, run from the spools 5 via guide rollers 6 (thread brake)and through holes of a guide member 7 to a supply member (not shown)from rotating about their own axes.

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2 which feeds them in free order to the needles of cylinder 3. Thetubular article 8 obtained as a result of the knitting o eration runsbetween two take-off rollers 9 to awinding drum (not shown) The cams fordriving the needles and shakers of cylinder 3 are controlled, as known,through rods (not shown) by means of various cams 10 which are mountedon a shaft 11. The latter at certain time intervals is advanced step bystep by means of a clutch 12 of which the engaging element 'iscontrolled by pe'gs such as 13, which are attached to certain members ofan endless control chain 14. The driving member of clutch 12 isoperatively connected "to a main shaft through reduction gears or thelike. A fast pulley 15 is fixed to said main shaft, and a loose pulleyis mounted on the latter. The

main shaft for adjustment purposes may be slowly rotated by means of acrank handle 17 which normally is not rotating therewith.

A highly elastic thread 20 issuing from a spool 5A runs over a furtherguide roller 6 and a guide roller 21 to the thread-feeding attachment 22which forms the subject-matter of our present invention. In saidattachment, thread 20 runs to a thread-supply means '23 which iscontrolled in conventional way and manner so as to feed this thread '20also to the needles of cylinder 3 at the desired times.

To column 24 is clamped, in conventional manner, the bearing 26 (Fig. 7)of shaft 27 to which is fixed a disc 28 of the thread-feedingattachment; Shaft 2'7 by means of a pair of helical wheels 29, 36 of avertical llEliflSlTllS sion shaft 31 is driven at uniform speed by themain shaft of the knitting frame; the whole in such combination as isknown in said conventional thread-feeding attachments.

The novel thread-feeding attachment disclosed in our present invention,now is formed as follows:

A panlike housing part 33 (Fig. 2) and a mainly hollow cylindricalhousing part 34 are rigidly interconnected by screws 35. A lateralextension 34a of housing part 34 is provided with a bore into which isinserted the upper end-portion of a pump shaft 36 and retained by meansof a disc 37 and a screw 38. On the remaining portion of shaft 36 isrotatably mounted the hub 39a of the rotor 39 of a ump which will bedescribed later. Said hub also rotates in a bore of housing part 33,thus affording an additional indirect connection of the two housingparts 33 and 34. A second disc 37 is secured to the lower end of thestationary pump shaft 36. Sheetiron parts 43 to 45 of a cowling aresecured to the housing parts 33, 34 by means of screws 41. The cowlingtogether with the housing 33, 34 is secured to the supporting-frame 1and column 24 respectively, by means of a bracket 42 and an arm 4t)(Figs. 1 and 7).

The longitudinal bore 46 (Fig. 3) of housing part 34 is closed by acover 47 at the lower end, and by a cover 48 at the upper end. Cover 48at the same time forms a guide for the rod 49 of a piston 50 which istightly set into the bore 46 and is movable in the longitudinal direction thereof. By means of a stiff steel-wire 51 (of which the bentU-shaped end 51a (Fig. 4) surrounds a cylindrical rod 52, the lower endof which is rigidly screwed to a flange of cover 48), a sleeve 53 issecured to piston rod 49, said wire also preventing the piston rod andthe sleeve On sleeve 53 is mounted the hub of a rotary arm 54. Said hubthrough its lower end face is supported on an annular shoulder of sleeve53. A comically-wound helical spring 55 abuts at its upper end against aring 56 which is fixed to the upper end of piston rod 49, and at itslower end abuts against the upper one of two plate-like brake discs 57.The latter also are centered on the piston rod, and the lower disc issupported on a stop 58 fixed to sleeve 53. A feed roller 61 is rotatablymounted on a pin 59 which, by means of a nut 60, is secured to rotaryarm 54. The tubular portion 63 of a press stirrup, which furthercomprises two arms 64 and a rod 65, is freely rotatable on a bearing rod62 which is parallel to piston rod 49. The lower portion of rod 62 isformed as screw having a hexagonal head, passes through a hole in theflange of cover 48, and is screwed into housing part 34. A tensionspring 66 (Fig. 4) is attached to the lower arm 64 and pushes rod 65onto rotary arm 54 and, thus, the feeding roller 61 on to disc 28. Thethread arriving from guide roller 21 (Fig. 1) runs between the two brakediscs 57, passes through a first thread guide secured to rotary arm 54,thence runs between roller 61 and disc 28 to a second thread guide 67and then to the thread introducer 23 (Fig. 1).

The speed at which the elastic thread is fed to introducer 23 is equalto the product of the angular speed of disc 28 and the distance of thepoint of contact between disc 28 and feed roller 61 from the axis ofrotation of disc 28. Such speed, therefore, may be varied by varyingsaid distance. The attachment parts now to be described, serve for suchpurpose.

In the form of invention shown it is possible, in the course ofmanufacturing a tubular knitted article, to move feed roller 61 atpreselectable times into one after another of six different positionswith respect to the axis of rotation of disc 28. Not only the positionsdetermining said distance, but also the speed at which the feed rollertravels from one of these positions to the next, can be freely of themounting described of rotary arm 54 and of the rigid connection betweenbearing sleeve 53 and piston rod 49.

A traverse 68 (Fig. 2) is clamped to the upper end of rod 52 by means ofa screw 69. To traverse 68 is secured the upper end of an axle 70 whichis parallel to piston rod 49. A prismatic drum 71 is rotatably butaxially immovably mounted on axle 70. Each of the six drum faces isprovided with a longitudinal groove 72 in which is movable a slider 73(Fig. 5) which is clampable by means of a screw 74 and a part engagingsaid groove from the rear. Slider 73 comprises a lug 73a (Fig. 2)against which abuts stop 58 from above or below under the assumptionthat the respective slider 73 faces said stop or piston rod 49respectively. A scale 76 is attached to the various drum faces along thelongitudinal groove 72, to which is directed a pointer or lug 73a. Thescale indicates the radius of disc 28 on which feed roller 61 moves whenstop 58 abuts against lug 73a of the respective slider, or alsoindicates at once the product of this radius times the angular speed ofthe disc 1, i. e. the thread-feeding speed.

Piston is hydraulically moved at adjustable speed by means of a pump ofvariable output. Said pump comprises the rotor 39 which by a chain drive77 to 79 (Figs. 1 and 2) is driven at uniform speed from vertical shaft31. Said rotor comprises two or several radial bores 80. Pump pistons 81disposed in said bores 80 comprise each a cross-pin 82 which can move toand fro in a groove 39b of rotor 39 of which the ends are engaged inring discs 83 for the purposee of kinematically coupling the variouspump pistons 81. The ring discs 83 move on the flat annular faces 390 ofrotor 39 and of cover discs 84 and 85 respectively, which are secured torotor 39 by means of screws 86, 87 as is also a further cover disc 88.The pump pistons bear on the interior race ring 89 of a needle bearingwhich rotates with rotor 39, the needles or rollers of said bearingbeing designated by 90 and its exterior race ring by 91. The latter ismounted in the annular portion 92:: of a bar 92 which is guided in boresof the housing part 33 and serves for adjusting the eccentricity of therings 89, 91 and of the pistons 81 for the purpose of varying thedelivery volume, which is zero when the race rings are setconcentrically with respect to axle 36.

Axle 36 at the elevation of the bores has a front recess 93 and a rearrecess 94 (Fig. 6). Recess 93, through a longitudinal duct 95,communicates with a similar upper front recess 93 and, through ducts 96to 98 in housing portion 34, 34a, with the lower end of cylinder bore 46and with a front suction valve 99 and a front relief valve 100. Said twovalves open into an oil reservoir 101 which is disposed in the panlikecowling part. The lower rearward recess 94 in similar mannercommunicates through a duct 102 with an upper rearward recess 94 of axle36 and, further, through ducts 103, 104 in housing portion 34, 34:: withthe upper end of cylinder bore 46 and also through a duct 105 providedrearwardly of duct 97, to a second suction valve 99 and a second reliefvalve 100. These two valves built into cover 47 also open into oilreservoir 101. When, for a certain operating position, the eccentricityof the rings 89, 91 with respect to axle 36 is directed to the left, asshown in Fig. 2, and pump rotor 39 rotates clockwise (Fig. 4), each ofthe pistons 81 on passing through the front half-portion of its orbitsucks up oil through the front recess 93. At the same time, thediametrically opposite piston 81 on passing through the rearhalf-portion of its orbit forces oil through the rear recess 94. Asalong as piston 50 can move freely, because stop 58 has not abutted yetagainst one of the slides 73, oil is sucked up through the ducts 98 fromthat portion of bore 46 which is situated below piston 50 and is forcedthrough the ducts 102 and 104 into that portion of the same bore 46which is situated above piston 50. Thus the piston is forced to movedownwardly together with rotary arm 54 and feeding roller 61, so thatthe thread feeding speed is reduced until stop 58 abuts against one ofthe sliders 73. The oil then is sucked up through the forward suctionvalve 99 and forced out through the rearward relief valve and duct 105.The output per second and the corresponding speed of piston 50 depend onthe size of eccentricity of the rings 89, 91. When rod 92 is moved tothe right (Fig. 2), said eccentricity is reduced to zero and, uponfurther displacement is increased again. The pump pistons then force theoil through the front recess 93 and the ducts 95 to 98 into the spacebelow piston 50. However, when the latter is stopped by one of thesliders 73, the oil is forced out through the front relief valve 100.Oil then is sucked from the space above piston 50 or, respectively,through the rear suction valve 99 and the ducts 102 to 105. Piston 50thus is moved upwardly for the purpose of raising the thread-feeding,speed, and then comes to a standstill since stop 58 abuts against one ofthe sliders. When piston 50 is moved downwardly or upwardly, stop 58 forthe time being is pressed against the slider facing it, owing to thepressure of the oil escaping from one of the relief valves, 100, i. e.the piston is positively stopped and secured against any unintentionalreturn movement.

The actual position of rod 92 and, therefore, the magnitude anddirection of the pump eccentricity is determined, in each and any of thesix positions of rest of drum 71, by the position or adjustment of oneof the six stop screws 107 which may be turned in threaded bores in thelower end-face of the drum and, after having been set, blocked by meansof a counter-nut 108.

A bearing support 111 provided with a lever axle 112 is secured to theflange of the upper cover 48 by means of the lower portion of rod 52which is formed as screw, and by means of the appurtenant nut 109 (Fig.3) and a screw 110. On said axle 112 is mounted rotatably but axiallyimmovably a bell crank 113 of which one arm is pivoted to a member 114attached to rod 92, whilst the other arm is indirectly pressed againstthe head of the superjacent stop screw 107 by a compression spring 115bearing against cowling 45 and engaging the opposite end of rod 92, forthe purpose of scanning the position of adjustment of screw 107 and totransmit such position on to the rings 89, 91 and the pump pistons 81.

Drum 71 is held in its position of rest by a spring-loaded retainingpawl 116 which is mounted on the screw 110 which is formed as pivot pin.Pawl 116 coacts with one of a plurality of indexing pins 118 which aresecured to an upwardly facing shoulder face of drum 71. Under certainconditions which are explained later, a pawl 119 coacts with said pins118, said pawl being pivoted to an upwardly extending arm 120 of a bellcrank 120 to 122 mounted on the axle 112. The downwardly extending arm122 of said bell crank is pivoted to an eccentric connecting rod 123 ofwhich the annular portion 123a surrounds the eccentrically turned-oil.portion 85a of ring 85 which is continuously rotating with pump rotor39. Pawl 119 thus performs continuously reciprocating indexing movementswhereby, however, the trip nose of the pawl only engages one of saidpins 118 and moves the drum by one step when the above-mentionedconditions arise,

i. e. when one of the actuating pegs 124 (Fig. l) secured to certainlinks of control chain 14 engages an inclined face on the lower end of alever 125 which is mounted on the machine subframe 1 and of which theupper end through a link 126 is connected to pawl 119. During the courseof a complete operating cycle of the machine, which mostly is synonymouswith manufacture of a knitted article, the control chain 13 revolvesonce, as known. In a timed sequence which solely is defined by thearrangement of the six pegs 124 on chain 14, drum 71 is indexed sixtimes by one sixth of a revolution. In each position of rest, the stopscrew 107 situated nearest to piston rod 49 in cooperation with feelerpin 113 defines the magnitude and sense of the thread-feed accelerationby varying the pump eccentricity, Whilst slider 73 which is situatedabove the respective stop screw and is pre-adjusted, defines the finalvalue up to which the thread feeding speed increases or decreases. Thethread feeding speed then remains constant until the next-following peg124 through engagement of the lever 125 has caused a further indexingmovement of drum 71.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a thread-feeding attachment, in particular for knitting machines,the combination, with a disc rotating at uniform speed and operativelyassociated with pre-adjust able path limiting stops and including a feedroller pushing the thread to be fed against said disc, of a mechanismfor moving said roller at pre-definable speed in a meridian plane of thedisc with respect to the axis of rotation of the latter successivelybetween positions determined by said stops.

2. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 1, in which saidmechanism comprises a member, the feed roller being rotatably mounted onsaid member, a hydraulically operating piston for moving said membertogether with said roller and a pump for pumping an operating liquid toone or the other side of said piston, the

6 pump output being variable for the purpose of varying the pistonspeed.

3. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 2, in which the pumpis a rotary pump comprising pistons moving on a circle of which theeccentricity is variable from zero in both senses for the purpose ofvarying the speed and the direction of movement of said operatingpiston.

4. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 3, an operatingcylinder having a bore in which said operating piston is disposed, saidbore being closed at both ends, an oil reservoir into which the lowerend portion of said cylinder is plunged at least partly, and in said endportion are disposed two suction valves and two relief valves and openinto said reservoir, one each of said valves communicating with thelower or respectively upper end of said bore so that when one of thepath-limiting stops is effective the pressure of the liquid supplied tothe operating cylinder by the continuously operating rotary piston pump,which pressure is required for overcoming the resistance of the reliefvalve which then is operating, prevents said member which coacts withsaid stop from detaching itself from the latter.

5. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 4,

' in which the operating piston comprises a rod on which the supplyroller carrying member is rotatably but axially immovably mounted, and aspring-loaded stirrup through its part parallel to the piston rod actscontinuously on said member in order to push the supply roller againstthe disc.

6. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 4, in a drum parallelto the direction of movement of the thread-supply roller upon which thepath-limiting stops are adjustable.

7. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 6, in which the drumis provided with adjustable stops, a spring-loaded feeler coacting withsaid adjusted stops and having a rod to determine the eccentricity ofthe circle on which move the pistons of the rotary piston pump, and thusalso determines the speed and direction of movement of the supply rollerwith respect to the disc axis.

8. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 7, in which therotary piston pump comprises a rotor with an eccentric, a drum pawl, alinkage connected between said eccentric and said pawl for continuouslyreciprocating said pawl in the drum indexing direction, the drum in theoperating range of said pawl being provided with indexing pinscorresponding in number to the number of path-limiting stops and ofstops defining the pump eccentricity, a cam, said pawl having a linkageengageable with one of said pins for the purpose of indexing the drum byone step when said last linkage is actuated by said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,725,150 Lindley Aug. 20, 1929 2,667,266 Manger Jan. 26, 1954

